Plastic pallets are customarily used to transport and store goods. A plastic pallet typically includes an upper deck and a lower deck separated by support blocks. The support blocks define a gap or opening between the upper and lower decks for receiving the tines from a forklift or pallet jack for moving the pallet.
In terms of durability, plastic pallets are susceptible to damage from impacts with the sharp metal tines of the forklift or pallet jack. In addition, if the tines are inserted too far between the upper and lower decks such that the wheels of the forklift or pallet jack are resting on the lower deck, then the upper deck becomes separated from the lower deck when the tines are lifted.
Depending on the extent of the damage to the plastic pallet, it may be repaired at a cost far less than replacing the entire plastic pallet. There are many types of repairable plastic pallets, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,843,976; U.S. Pat. No. 5,413,052; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,791,261, for example. Even in view of these repairable plastic pallets, there is still a demand to increase durability, strength and reparability of plastic pallets.